Africa-Press – Ghana. The Western Regional Director of the National Population Council, Mr Frank Ofosu-Asante, has called for the constitution of a Governing Board to give clear policy directions to the activities of the Council.
He said the Board would make the Organisation deliver on its mandate. Speaking to the GNA as the world marked population day, Mr Ofosu-Asante said prioritizing Sexual Rights and Health (SRH) issues would make the services more resilient to withstand any pressures of the time.
He said, “This is possible through political commitment, promoting universal access to SRH services and integrating same into existing national strategies and programmes.”
Achieving universal access to SRHR services, including family planning, information and education and their subsequent integration into national health strategies remained an option to be pursued.
He said the lack of structured approach, inadequate funding for healthcare, allocation of resources, lack of political will and commitment have contributed to making SRH services a low priority.
The World Population Day, which sought to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was instituted by the Governing Council of the United Nations on July 11, 1987.
The global theme is “A World of 8 billion; Towards a Resilient Future for All-Harnessing Opportunities and ensuring Rights and Choices.” The national theme is “Prioritizing Rights and Choices: Harnessing Opportunities, the Road to a Resilient Future for All.”
The Regional Director said the celebration would enhance awareness of population and development and in Ghana the celebration would be marked by a series of events organised by the National Population Council, including seminar, debate, drama, workshop, symposium and public discussions.
Meanwhile, the United Nations is projecting a world population of eight billion by the close of 2022 and 10 billion by 2057. Mr Ofosu-Asante, said the figure presented both opportunities and challenges, bearing in mind the 2021 Population and Housing Census, which showed Ghana’s population at 30.8 million.
There are projections that Ghana’s population could reach 37.8 million in 2030 and and 52.1million by 2050 if the growth rate of 2.1 remains unchanged.
Mr Ofosu-Asante said accurate estimates of population trends and forecasts on the size, age, sex and geographical location were required for policy planning, formulation and implementation, adding, that Ghana had made significant gains since the concept of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) was defined and promoted at the ICPD in Cairo (1994). It aims at scaling up actions in promoting Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), gender equality and women empowerment.
The Director said, “effective SRH services went beyond preventive, promotive and curative as it addresses cross-cutting issues at all ages and for all genders…they represent a gateway to the health system, women have opportunity screening for malaria, HIV, cervical and breast cancer aside seeking support for gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual assault.”
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